PULMONARY-EMBOLISM PRESENTING AS SYNCOPE IN PARAPLEGIA - A CASE-REPORT

Syncope as an initial presentation of pulmonary embolism is unusual, A 16-year-old girl, with T7 paraplegia after a traumatic spinal cord in jury, developed syncope on the 33rd hospital day, The episode occurred approximately 3 hours after her first tilting table training and just after her attendant had assisted passive range-of-motion exercise, Su bsequent studies showed pulmonary embolism at the left lower branch of the left pulmonary artery, and the branch to lower segment of the lin gual lobe, Doctors should be alert to possible diagnosis of pulmonary embolism in such high-risk patients, especially when new onset symptom s or signs appear. (C) 1995 by the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine and the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilita tion